Like other living organisms on this planet, Utahns face a cesspit of environmental dangers.
If they don't die after losing precious lung tissue to noxious fumes, they may soon be fried alive, thanks to the thinning ozone layer.If their water isn't contaminated by leaking underground petroleum storage tanks, then storm-water runoff may do the job.
Maybe it's safer just to stay inside the house and never come out, right? Wrong. Therein lurk radon gas and pet dander.
Protecting the air, land and water is a big job, even for a big state bureaucracy like the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, which is holding its first-ever "Environmental Summit" this week.
Enlisting the help of three dozen Utahns from a broad base of interests statewide, officials hope to find out which of the numerous environmental problems Utahns really care about, which ones the state should tackle, which ones the state should ignore.
It's an effort that so far has won the praise of Bill Yellowtail, a regional chief of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who spoke during the summit's activities on Tuesday.
"I will accept your outcome here and integrate your aspirations in my approach to your community," said Yellowtail, whose office in Denver has come under fire from Utah officials who say the EPA is being unreasonable in its man-dates.
Yellowtail said he'd rather see the state solve its own problems without the need of federal mandates.
He urged Utahns to develop a strong vision for the state, which along with the rest of the West is undergoing some drastic changes that threaten the pristine characteristics that Westerners value so highly.
A Crow Indian, Yellowtail recounted stories about "old man coyote," an evil character in Indian yore who, in the end, became the butt of his own jokes. Modern man can become that "old man coyote" if he shows arrogance toward the environment, Yellowtail said.
After Yellowtail's remarks, the summit participants divided into three groups in which state environmental scientists explained the dynamics of some 20 environmental issues, including Wasatch Front air pollution, Superfund sites, water pollution, radiation and medical waste. A major emphasis of the discussions was the "comparative risks" of each hazard.
For example, while fine-particulate air pollution puts about 1 million Utahns at a moderate but immediate health risk, the effects of air pollution on natural ecosystems is real but difficult to measure and probably of little risk to humans.
The question is, "How far should we push it while we still don't know?" asked Chris Cline, a state environmental scientist.
While pooh-poohing the conclusiveness of the data on the ozone hole or global warming, state environmental scientist Steve Packham said air pollutants are a serious problem along the Wasatch Front. "We have people wanting to move out of the valley because of air quality."
At conference's end, participants will be asked to rank the issues, with the prioritized list becoming the basis for the department's long-term planning.
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Additional Information
Pollution risks
Pollutant No. of Utahns exposed Risk factor
Particulates 256 high
1,000,000 moderate
Ozone 1,200,000 moderate
Carbon monoxide 341,000 low
Sulfur dioxide 94 low
Source: Utah Department of Environmental Quality.